You might be aware that some people found things to criticise about 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, but that doesn’t apply to two characters who faced off as John Williams’ Duel of the Fates scorched itself into Star Wars lore; Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ray Park’s Darth Maul, and now news has emerged that the two could have been reunited in the eagerly anticipated Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that not only was Darth Maul initially set to return to the live-action Disney+ series as Obi-Wan’s nemesis, but that actor Ray Park was preparing to reprise his role.
The scripts featuring Darth Maul were those written by Hossein Amini, and sources say that when series director Deborah Chow showed them to Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, the creative duo behind The Mandalorian, they were concerned that a story in which Obi-Wan was to protect a young Luke Skywalker from being hunted by the Sith Lord was too similar to ground they’d already covered with Mando and Grogu, and urged Chow to “go bigger”.
SEE ALSO: Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader returns in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi image
UPDATE: Lucasfilm Creative Executive Pablo Hidalgo has taken to social media to debunk the report, stating that: “A brown sun rises. Bullshit has been spilled.”
Going bigger meant cutting Maul from the show (hasn’t he been sliced enough in his time?), hiring Joby Harold as writer, and instead opting to bring back Vader as the series’ big bad, alongside Rupert Friend as The Grand Inquisitor.
Aware that Maul is a fan-favourite creation, Lucasfilm and Disney+ have been trying to expand the Sith Lord’s brand by shoehorning him into Solo: A Star Wars Story and having already been a key part of Clone Wars and Rebels after being controversially resurrected following his “death” in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, there has even been talk of his own animated show.
Do you wish Maul was part of the Obi-Wan series, or are you pleased with the direction they’ve take with Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader? Let us know by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth….
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is directed by Deborah Chow (The Mandalorian) and features a cast that includes Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars, Bonnie Piesse as Beru Lars, Rupert Friend as The Grand Inquisitor, Moses Ingram as Reva, the Third Sister, and Sung Kang as the Fifth Brother, along with Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Simone Kessell, Maya Erskine, and Benny Safdie.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere on May 25th, the 45th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Originally published March 15, 2022. Updated March 17, 2022.
